Wrexham Council confirms High Court injunction still in place on unauthorised Coedpoeth settlement

Wrexham Council says that a High Court injunction remains in place on an unauthorised settlement in Coedpoeth after travellers submitted a planning application.
An interim High Court injunction was granted on September 9 for an agricultural field off Nant Lais and Old Smelt Road in Coedpoeth after travellers tore up the field and laid hard core down to bring caravans onto the site over the August Bank Holiday.
It was the second illegal site to crop up in Coedpoeth in recent weeks and together they prompted 100 residents to protest at Wrexham’s Guildhall and more than 400 people to attend a public meeting with the council, Natural Resources Wales and North Wales Police seeking action to remove the waste and restore the land.
The injunction temporarily stopped any further development on the site.
Now plans have been submitted for a three-pitch travellers site on the field – which borders Coedpoeth and Minera – but Wrexham Council has assured residents it will not impact legal proceedings surrounding the site and that development activity is still prohibited.
“The site remains subject to an interim injunction and a Temporary Stop Notice to prevent further unauthorised works,” said a council spokesperson.  “These enforcement measures remain in place whilst the council considers the planning application.
“The submission of a planning application does not affect the status of the injunction or the Temporary Stop Notice.”
The planning application seeks to secure permission for the site to become a permanent settlement site for travellers under rules governing ‘exceptional circumstances.
According to the planning documents the fact the occupants of the site are from the travelling community means they have exceptional circumstances which outweigh the risk of harm to the Green Barrier.
To further strengthen its case the application – submitted by St Helens-based planning and design firm Mat Design on behalf of Mike Wall – cites the legal duty on Wrexham Council to ‘ensure that the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers are properly assessed and that the identified need for pitches is met’.
It goes on to say that ‘the lack of a proper planning framework in Wrexham, against which applications can be tested, fails to meet the challenges’.
By challenges the document is referring to the council’s legal duty.
The plans would see the hard core remain and a permanent ‘day room’ built with washing facilities.
Within its evidence the application refers to a successful appeal in Flintshire, where PEDW granted permission for a family travellers site to remain in Hawarden after the local authority rejected it.
Wrexham Council’s Planning Committee is expected to rule on the application before Monday, November 2. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

%gallery% ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​